compopedia_2_point_0fandomcom-20200213-history
Audience
An audience is a group of people that a writer is trying to get the attention of. Information in any form of writing is usually intended for a specific audience. Knowing who the audience is going to be will make the process of writing easier, because it simplifies the decisions to make. Writing with a specific audience in mind will give the writing more unity of purpose and style and will involve the reader directly.http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~shale/humanities/composition/handouts/audience.html Identify Audience The claim, audience, support, and warrant are all the components one must think about when writing. Choosing who the audience is going to be, is the key to writing effectively. When choosing a topic to write about, think about who the audience is going to be and what types of information those readers want to get out of it.http://www.umuc.edu/writingcenter/writingresources/writing_for_audiences.cfm Writers must seek out who their audience is first, before writing something, so they know how to word everything correctly. The audience might also be a person someone is trying to convince with their argument. A specific argument is typically seen with advertisements, when the writer is trying to get the audience to think a certain way about a subject. Example Questions to determine audience:http://writingcommons.org/process/think-rhetorically/consider-your-audience 1. What does the audience need? What do they value? What do they want? 2.What are they least likely to care about? 3.What does the research about the topic convey? 4. Who is the primary audience? A teacher? A parent or loved one? Fellow students? A politician? A university committee? A broad, general audience such as subscribers to a weekly magazine like Time or Newsweek? Are they a lay audience, executives, experts, or technicians? Tone of Voice The writer must also think about the tone of voice that is coming through with their writing, which depends on the type of audience it was intended for. For example, people talk differently to their teachers than they do to their friends. A writer needs to think about defining words and concepts throughout their writing, so the reader does not get lost or bored while reading it. Coming up with questions about the topic and the audience might be a good idea. For example, ask the questions: 1. What does my audience already know about his topic? 2. What kinds of questions will my audience have? By asking these questions, it will give the writer a better understanding on how to come across with their tone of voice. Types of Audiences There are four different types of audiences that a writer may come across and need to be persuaded in different ways. http://changingminds.org/techniques/general/four_audiences.htm 1. Hostile- This is a listener who generally tends to disagree. A writer may have to work harder to earn the listeners trust and show them that they are knowledgable about the topic they are writing about. 2. Critical- This is a listener who thinks they know more about a topic than the writer does. The writer must argue both sides with their writing and also use lots of evidence to prove their points. 3. Uninformed- This is a listener who does not know much about the topic being talked about. The writer must define words and explain thoroughly what they are trying to get across to the listener. 4 Sympathetic- This is a listener who has emotional attacthment to the topic and are the easiest to persuade. The writer must first build a bond with the listener and show them that they are similar in some way. This is a more personal approach with writing. References -Brianna Zmuda